Business, But Not as Usual– 6 Opportunities to Shift Gears During a Pandemic

April 23, 2020

If anything is certain during this global pandemic, it's that individuals, businesses of all sizes, politicians, the world, are re-evaluating how to operate in order to stay afloat. Society is also trying to be proactive and plan for what a world post-COVID-19 may look like now that everyone has been forced to learn to live with less. We're learning that we have the capacity to be ingenious and flexible in how we work and do business, we're exercising our minimalist muscle as we limit personal expenditures and try to make the most of every dollar and supportive funding we have, and we're realizing the importance of supporting local business as international supply chains stiffen. We're finding clever and resourceful ways to lean out so that if the world pauses again in the future, the effect will be less crippling.

Businesses and organizations of all sizes and industries have had to adjust their sails in the unsettling waters of social distancing, closures and cancellations, and strict sanitization protocols. Restaurants are now offering take-out only options, shops are getting creative with online auctions and aggressive social media streaming, and online services are being introduced to cater to life in isolation. Another element that makes the list of strategies that are temporary and easy to incorporate into current operations is mobile storage.

Here are six opportunities for businesses and organizations to temporarily downscale and stay afloat by using shipping containers in their operations:

1. Home-Based Businesses

Individuals selling products like vitamin supplements, beauty and skin care, and more are shipping products to clients from their home base and require room to store product. An 8ft or 10ft container that sits conveniently and securely on a laneway can keep products organized and out of the way of home office space for any period of time.

2. Automotive Businesses

You'd be hard-pressed to find many people buying big ticket items like cars during such a financially strained time. Smaller new and used car dealerships can use shipping containers to create detailing or repair bays as a continued service offering to current and past clients until the economy is back in full swing.

3. Healthcare

Hospitals are at capacity around the world and are now exploring the use of shipping containers as the temporary, relocatable bed space, ICU unit, or testing lab they didn't know they'd need. Containers also present an opportunity for Public Health Organizations to set up temporary mobile vaccine stations for when an antidote becomes available. First Nations populations, who often reside in remote areas, bring in shipping container Health & Safety and sanitization stations to ensure their members have adequate supplies and care.

4. Agriculture

Inexpensive, sustainable, and portable, containers offer a space where organic vegetables can be grown via conventional or hydroponic methods. For restaurants and grocery stores that want to provide fresh local produce, containers are an ideal option, as they can be installed on-site in a single footprint, or stacked vertically for denser crop production, and their portability allows them to be moved as necessary.

5. Retailers

Months before COVID-19 hit, retailers forecasted and ordered inventory for the year at a time when a "normal" landscape was expected to ensue. With a pause in operations and in some cases, a complete shutdown, retail businesses are overwhelmed with stockpiling inventory. Many businesses have called on Secure-Rite for 20ft storage container rentals to house their excess inventory until they’re able to open back up and stock their shelves again.

6. Not-For-Profits

These organizations are the heartbeat of the community and are busy rallying to make sure that individuals, animals, and front-line healthcare workers are supported in this time of need. We have delivered containers to Interior Health, the Animal Food Bank, and other organizations to create space for incoming donations of medical supplies, clothing, and food for both people and their pets.